The only British politician to have been murdered in recent times was a Labour MP, Jo Cox. Other Parliamentarians from the same party have endured hostility, which is now as likely to come from their left as their right: consider the deselection-mongering of an official Momentum group, exposed on this site last week by Mark Wallace. It had published a list of 49 Labour MPs that the group thought should “join the Liberals”.

None the less, the main target for threats and abuse during the election seems to have been Conservative candidates. Byron Davies, who lost his seat in Gower, received two death threats. Nigel Evans was verbally abused and pushed outside a pub. Sheryll Murray had swastikas scrawled on her posters. Johnny Mercer’s wife was intimidated by a Labour activist.